If Christian Ponder wants to grab hold of the starting quarterback job, now’s his chance.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier reiterated Monday that Ponder will start Thursday night against Washington at the Metrodome. It will Ponder’s third straight start and sixth of the season.

Ponder completed 25 of 37 passes for 236 yards Sunday at Dallas, with one touchdown pass and one interception. But the Vikings lost 27-23 to drop to 1-7.

“I thought he was more confident in some of the things he did, more controlled,” Frazier said about Ponder. “I liked the decisions that he made, when he had to escape the pocket, getting out of trouble and avoiding sacks. There are some things he can do better, obviously.

“The (interception), there are some things he can do a little bit different there. But I liked the way he moved and the way he handled our no-huddle situation, as well. He really seemed comfortable there. We thought he would, the way he had practiced. He did a good job of directing our team.”

It was good enough to make Josh Freeman have to continue waiting. Freeman was signed Oct. 7 and had a disastrous debut Oct. 21 against the New York Giants.

Freeman suffered a concussion in that game and was ruled out for the Oct. 27 game against Green Bay. Freeman was cleared to play in Dallas but was inactive after Frazier had decided to go with Ponder.

Chris joined the Pioneer Press in 2013 to cover the Vikings. He was a longtime NBA writer with the Akron Beacon Journal, Rocky Mountain News and AOL FanHouse. Before coming to Minnesota, he covered the Miami Heat and Dolphins for Fox Sports. Chris has won six awards in the past three Pro Football Writers of America contests. Chris is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he spent his college years watching the losingest team in the history of Division I-A football.

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